La Niña emerging, bringing potential for extreme weather

The Atlantic hurricane season, which has already produced 20 named storms, could see more ahead because of La Niña. That’s because it tends to disrupt the wind shear that normally rips fall storms apart before they can get too strong. (Credit: David Paul Morris/Bloomberg)

(Bloomberg) — A weather-roiling La Niña appears to have emerged across the equatorial Pacific, setting the stage for worsening droughts in California and South America, frigid winters in parts of the U.S. and Japan and greater risks for the world’s already strained energy and food supplies.

The phenomenon — which begins when the atmosphere reacts to a cooler patch of water over the Pacific Ocean — will likely last through at least February, the U.S. Climate Prediction Center said Thursday, Oct. 14. There is a 57% chance it will be a moderate event, like the one that started last year, the center said. While scientists may need months to confirm whether La Niña has definitely returned, all the signs are indicating it’s here.